Finding the Future
by iEvenstarEstel
Summary: Set after events in the finale of Primeval: New World. Connor returns to his London and discovers that things aren't necessarily how he left them.
1. Chapter 1

Finding the Future  
2013 Evenstar Estel

Connor let out a huge sigh of relief as he and Kieron stepped through the anomaly and back to their London - their time, their home. Finding Martin and Jo waiting there as they'd left them also helped to set his mind at ease. Seeing Becker had joined them however rankled him a bit. Connor had been in charge of his own team for a little over three months and they were gelling well together, having successfully handled several incursions by themselves. Connor sobered when he saw the look of concern on his friend's face. The soldier stepped forwards and got on the other side of the wounded Kieron, guiding them away from the anomaly.

"Lock it," Connor ordered. Jo nodded and engaged the locking device. Connor looked back just as the swirling ball of light compressed into a hovering sphere. "You two stay here and guard the anomaly."

"Will do," Martin said with a nod, looking with concern as Kieron winced took and a deep breath to help control his pain.

"I'll send a couple of my men over to relieve you in a few hours. Take your readings and update Miss Parker if there's anything of significance," Becker stated as he directed Kieron and Connor towards where his vehicle was parked. As they got further away from the anomaly, Connor's mind began to run over all they'd experienced in the past few hours. Here they were in the summer of two thousand and thirteen, and moments ago they'd been a year earlier on the other side of the planet. What had happened to Evan, Ms. Finch and all the others since then? There were too many questions without answers, and too many variables to even begin to try and take them all into account on the spur of the moment. Furthermore, what did it mean to have discovered another junction for the anomalies? The team had never again come upon the one Stephen and Cutter had found so many years ago.

As he helped Becker settle Kieron in the passenger seat of the vehicle, Connor cast his thoughts back to the conversations he'd had with the people on Evan's team. There was the man whose name he never learned, the one who'd dressed himself as a soldier though Connor remembered him from the first time he'd met Cross face to face. The young man had lived another life where he was part of the ARC. That was the second time Connor had become aware that his own timeline had been changed. The first was when Cutter returned from the Permian and his Claudia Brown was gone. He'd given the man advice, telling him what he'd needed to hear. But now that Connor was questioning his own life, did it still apply?

_"Unless you're in an anomaly when the timeline changes, you don't even know about it,"_ Connor had told the man. _"You just go on living like it was always that way. Understand?"_ The man had accepted the words and in hindsight Connor knew he shouldn't have said anymore, not for the other man's sake, but for his own. _"What's worse is knowing how it was supposed to be. Being the only one that remembers." _And the other fellow had been correct, it would drive a person out of his head to dwell on it. _"Yeah, it could drive you mad. This is your life, why don't you focus on that? Cool?"_ And then came the damning blow that had Connor's stomach in knots. _"There is no going back."_

A little while later he was with Angelica Finch and Connor could tell that she was a conflicted woman in a very difficult position. She wanted to unravel the last six years, and to save Evan Cross' wife from her brutal death. He knew her intentions were good and that this woman was someone who cared about people and the world they all lived in, but for Connor in that moment, it had been about one person. _"Well, I've got a wife too and I really really want to see her again. If you go messing with stuff that happened six years ago, maybe I never even met her. Maybe you'll break more than you fix. You have to think about that. Trust me, you'll be sorry."_

As he got into the back seat and Becker fired up the engine, Connor's hand closed around the ring that dangled from the leather cord around his neck. It wasn't the one he'd worn for over a decade, no that one had been given away. This one he'd taken in return and it meant the world to him. His mother's ring hung from another cord around another neck. At least... he thought it was the right ring. He couldn't bring himself to even speak her name or ask after her, not even when Becker contacted the ARC and told Jess to inform the others that the anomaly had been locked, Connor and Kieron were back and that Kieron would need medical attention as soon as they arrived.

Connor closed his eyes and prayed. Would anything that had occurred in British Columbia a year ago for this world, but only minutes for Connor and Kieron, have any bearing on the past six years of his own life? Could one deviation from the previous course of events bring his entire world crashing down? The words spoken to the other man returned to his mind and made his very soul quake. _What's worse is knowing how it was supposed to be. Being the only one that remembers. _He couldn't do it, of that Connor felt certain, he couldn't live with the memory of her and not have her with him. He would go mad, he knew it, he truly knew it. _If you got messing with stuff that happened six years ago, maybe I never even met her. _

He sucked in a shuddering breath and bit the inside of his cheek. He felt the bile rise up in his throat as Becker drove them through the streets of London. He stomach roiled and he swallowed down the lump in his throat. It wouldn't be long until he had the answer and the dread that filled him was already swallowing him whole. He'd be lost without her. His life would be over as surely Cutter's was and the love of his life would go to wherever Claudia Brown had gone to be nothing more than a dead man's memory.

"Earth to Connor!" Becker urged, reaching back and giving Connor a knock to his leg. "You haven't listened to a damn word I've said, have you?"

Connor looked at this friend, blinking, breaking out of his morbid thoughts for a moment. "Wha...? Sorry..."

"Temple, I swear sometimes... I said Lester is going to want a full report from you when we get back. He's ready to sack you, and Matt's not happy with you either. You knew the rules, nobody goes through an anomaly!"

"It was my fault," Kieron spoke up. "Connor warned me to get clear and I didn't listen to him. If he hadn't come after me, I'd be dead for certain. I'll explain to Matt and Lester both..."

"It's fine Kieron," Connor countered. "It'll sort itself out." Truth was, Connor couldn't have cared less about the riot act Lester or Matt wanted to lay on him. He just had to see her, had to know, then he could start living again, or face the opposite.

As Becker turned into the underground at the ARC, Connor felt his heart begin to race and a trickle of sweat run down his temple. His hand still clutched his ring and his thumb rubbed over the smooth gold, back and forth in tandem with the beating of his heart. There was a medical team waiting at the lift as Becker brought the vehicle to a halt. Connor followed blindly, hearing only the thrum of his blood pumping through his body. His other hand trembled and he closed it into a fist as they ascended. He followed after the others as they walked the halls. Connor took in the familiar surroundings and looked for any signs of change. They came to the junction where the left led to medical, the right to the main hub where the ADD, Lester and Jess were situated, and ahead of him that would take him to the menagerie.

He caught sight of Lester first and his stone face that gave nothing away. Jess smiled and stood at Lester's side, happy to see them all return. Ahead Connor spied Matt walking towards him and then quite suddenly their team leader was being pushed aside. Connor made an indignant guttural sound and felt his stomach drop right down into his feet. She was there, she was alive, with his mother's ring around her neck and the fire in her blue eyes that set his soul ablaze, burning for him. His vision clouded as his eyes filled with tears, his gratitude and relief immeasurable. She spared a glance at Kieron sitting in his wheelchair, but at the same time quickened her pace towards him. Becker stepped out of her way as she flew past him.

"Abby..." he spoke, the joy and reverence in his voice recognized by everyone present. He reached for her and a second later felt as if his head had been knocked off his shoulders. Her slap to his face was unexpected and harsh.

"Okay, I guess I deserved that," Connor said, feeling his skin burn where she'd struck him. She'd never actually been violent with him before and it definitely upset him. He sniffed and turned his head back towards her. She was angry, that much was clear, but knowing her as well as he did he could see the other emotions that had driven her to strike him. She was hurt and scared and he'd done that to her. He'd caused her terrible pain and grief and for the first time since he'd married her, he'd felt as if he'd broken his vows. He'd betrayed her trust and broken his promise to never leave her.

While his face felt hot and sore enough to maybe bruise, it also made him feel incredibly happy. Abby was right in front of him and very much alive. She was consumed by all the negative emotions he knew still preyed upon her. The feelings of abandonment, loneliness and fear had overwhelmed her and without knowing how to purge them before they'd reunited, she'd taken them out on him physically. Connor supposed it had manifested as it had because deep down she knew he loved her unconditionally and such a thing as striking him would be forgiven. She'd not had the words to tell him he'd hurt her, so she'd let herself get out of control. He'd got the message loud and clear. He hoped that she'd give him another chance. So long as they were both in this world, there was definitely hope. He watched as her body began to tremble as she cast furtive glances around her, realizing what she'd just done in front of everyone. She was embarrassed and he could tell she felt terribly vulnerable.

She moved past him, too quickly for him to grab hold of her and draw her into a hug or to let her know how sorry he was. He watched her go, moving swiftly towards the elevator that would take her to the underground parkade. He could see that her hand covered her mouth as she held back her sobs. He knew she must've felt terrible for hitting him. He imagined how it must've been from her point of view to be told that her husband had entered an anomaly after an Albertosaurus and hours later still hadn't come back. Abby had a threshold for tolerating stress and he'd obviously pushed her beyond it with his actions.

He stood inert and still in a bit of a state of shock before his thoughts finally connected with the rest of him and he went running after her. He took the stairs and made it to the car park just in time to see her driving away in the Mini. He called after her, but the tires screeched as she turned to the exit, leaving him behind.

"Here, take mine," Becker spoke from his side, offering his keys. "She kept a straight face when Martin relayed to Jess what had happened. But maybe it's because I've known you two for as long as I have, but I saw that fear settle in her. She hovered and paced behind Jess for two hours before she couldn't take it anymore and went to the menagerie." Becker put the keys in Connor's hand and gave his shoulder a pat. "Best hurry, you'll want to get home as soon as you can. She doesn't do well on her own, you know? She needs you as much as you need her."

Connor nodded, gave his friend a look of true gratitude and then jogged to Becker's SUV and was soon speeding home, hoping to find his wife there, where he could try and explain things, and more importantly, try and mend what had been broken between them.

He had to circle the block twice before finding somewhere to park the big black SUV. He'd nearly had a heart attack as he tried to keep his eyes on the Mini as it sped and wove through London traffic. Abby was clearly not paying attention and Connor was grateful they travelled the same route on a daily basis so at the least the roads were familiar to her. It was dusk by the time they reached their neighbourhood. She'd not locked the front door to their flat after making her way inside. He locked the door behind him and let out a heavy sigh at the sight of their darkened flat. He'd been so focused on knowing that Abby was alright, it hit him that maybe there'd be subtle shifts in his world. He thought it might be wise to look around and assess things, but when he heard her moving around upstairs and her muffled sobs, all thoughts returned to her.

He walked up the stairs, heading straight to their bedroom. He knew the reason Abby was upset to the degree she was. In the past she'd keep that brave face Becker had mentioned perfectly poised, giving nothing away as to her thoughts or emotions. She'd kept that mask on through most of their time in the Cretaceous too. It wasn't until after that moment in the bunker in that once future that Abby truly showed him her raw, unrestrained emotion. After their engagement she was completely open to him. She laughed without inhibitions, and cried with the same freedom, knowing she was safe and loved with him. Thing of it was, he hadn't seen her cry anything but happy tears over the course of the past year since their engagement and then the wedding. And now he'd caused her pain and sorrow, made all the more acute in the wake of the conversation they'd had the night before.

He found her boots outside the bedroom door, taken off in haste with one having torn its laces. He stepped into the bedroom, but lingered near the threshold. His wife was sat on the edge of the bed with her back to him, staring at the wall as her shoulders shook and she took in laboured, ragged breaths. He walked to where she was and sat himself down cross-legged on the floor in front of her. She angrily wiped the tears from her eyes and refused to look at him. He tried to take her hands in his, but she pulled them away, so he settled for placing them on her knees.

"Abby..." he began, feeling rather overwhelmed himself. "I didn't know if you'd be here..."

"Where else would I be, Connor?" she asked accusingly. "It's not like I have anywhere else to go!"

"I meant, Abby, that I didn't know if you'd still exist. I thought maybe because of what had happened, about who I saw and what I did, you might've been erased... like Claudia Brown was."

Her eyes went wide and her whole body vibrated with emotion. "Wha...? Connor?"

"It was out of my control. We were taken into custody, timelines were crossing over themselves, it was insane."

Her anger was dissipating, being replaced with concern. She loved him after all, more than anything in the whole world, and he'd learned over the years just how powerful and deep that love was. "What happened?" she asked, her voice laced with fear. How close had they come to losing each other? This time when Connor reached for her hands, she let him hold them. He looked her in the eyes, his own full of love and devotion, and told her of all that had occurred. Abby listened intently, learning about those in Vancouver, the danger her husband had been in and how close the fabric of the past six years had come to unravelling entirely. In the end, Connor brought his story back to the decision that had driven him through the anomaly and risked their future.

"I did what was right, Abby. I couldn't abandon Kieron any more than I could you. This life... it's a calling, an obsession, but please believe me that you are the most important thing to me in the whole world no matter what side of an anomaly I'm on, but I couldn't leave him to die," he explained, imploring her to understand.

Her tears started up a new, still feeling the horrible sense of abandonment that she'd lived in fear of all the years of her life. "You left me here. What if you'd never come home? What if I'd had to do this all on my own... what if... it's already happened..." Connor knew what she was referring to and felt a great deal of shame at the idea of her life going on without him by her side to share in what they'd planned. It had been two months ago that they'd broached the subject of starting a family. Abby knew it was something Connor very much wanted. In fact he'd mentioned the idea and the desire quite often during their first year of marriage. Little by little, Abby had begun to imagine what it would be like to share an even stronger connection with Connor than the one they'd forged during their year in the Cretaceous, and their subsequent marriage. Both knew the life they led made such a decision an impractical and foolish one, but it was a compulsion of the heart and spirit that became too strong to deny. They decided to let nature take its course and when it happened, whether straight away or a year down the road, they'd welcome a little one born from their love and do their very best to give them a good life.

They'd both agreed that as soon as Abby became pregnant, she'd retire from being in the field, and so would he. She had been feeling a little out of sorts that past few days and the night before had suggested him that perhaps they'd already conceived. They'd planned on Abby taking a home pregnancy test that evening after work, but the day hadn't gone according to their plans.

"I am sorry," Connor said after a long stretch of silence. "I love you, Abby. Please forgive me?"

She nodded and when he rose up on to his knees to kiss her, she flung her arms around him and squeezed him as tight as she could. The kiss was fierce, passionate and possessive with hands pulling at clothes in an effort to feel their skin against each other's. Connor stood and Abby moved back further on to the bed. He lay himself over her as they continued their kiss, neither one wishing to pause to take in a proper breath. Their clothes were tossed away and they came together, sharing in the ecstatic moment when they joined as one and all the rest of the world faded to nothing around them.

Connor watched Abby's face as he moved within her, carefully gauging her pleasure while trying to soothe the uncertainties in her heart that had been caused this day. Tears still fell from her eyes, running down the sides of her face and neck, and the sight of them nearly broke him. The time spent trying to get back to her, wondering if she'd even be here, had been the most terrifying of his life. He watched Abby as she gasped and arched when he moved just so, and how when he gave a particularly hard thrust and she bit into her bottom lip with her teeth. He studied her, memorizing every facet of her, as if he'd forget her if he looked away. Their bodies were slick with sweat, but Connor suddenly felt quite cold. He tightened his arms around her, pulled her closer and encouraged her to wrap her legs around his waist. He wanted to feel the heat of her suffuse him, but the closer he tried to get to her, the further away she felt to him.

It was if she was fading away right before him, slipping through his fingers like grains of sand. There was a force around him that kept them apart, a pressure in his head that tried to blind him so he couldn't see her. She was being pulled away from him.

"Stay with me, please Abby," he implored. "Please stay... please..." He repeated the mantra over and over until suddenly his lips brushed against hers and the cold was replaced by a warmth spreading over him like easing into a hot bath, and it was wonderful. He continued to speak the words, his lips touching hers. Her fingers clutched a fistful of his hair and she kissed him with as much fervor as she could. Connor followed suit and clutched her hip with one hand and grabbed hold of the bed frame with the other. His thrusts came quicker, pushing into her at a steady rhythm and she moved with him, meeting each thrust with a buck of her pelvis.

The bed creaked beneath them, Abby nails scored down Connor's back, then she let out a cry and descended into a state of pure ecstasy as she sobbed and shook beneath him. Connor seized and came, spilling himself inside her before going heavy on top of her, exhausted and confused by what had just happened. Making love with Abby had never been like that. He couldn't articulate what he'd experienced, but something had tried to come between them and it had left him feeling very much as he had when he'd returned to London and not known if his Abby was here waiting for him. But it passed over them, and she was still in his arms, panting for breath against his ear, holding to him with her legs still locked around his waist.

He eased himself from her and lay at her side, pulling her into his arms, pressing kisses all over her face and tasting her tears. "I promise I won't..." he began, but stopped when she put her fingers to his lips.

"Don't. It's not a promise that you can keep, but I know you'll do your best. Connor? I'm really sorry I hit you. I feel awful about it. I don't know how I could've let myself hurt you like that. It's the last thing I intended, but I couldn't stop myself."

"It's okay, sweetheart. You must've been so worried. I know I was. I don't ever want either of us to have to feel like that again if we can help it." She nodded her head and buried her face against his neck, curling her body against his and shivering slightly. Connor reached around them and pulled the duvet up to their shoulders and held her in his arms as she fell asleep. He let out a heavy sigh and tried to find sleep, but instead laid awake for hours as his mind replayed everything that had occurred since he'd wakened that morning. Something still wasn't right, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

!*!*!

Both Connor and Abby felt much better about the state of things between them come morning. They agreed to start over and act as if the day before didn't matter. However, the persistent indefinable feeling of unease Connor had felt the night before stayed with him. Abby had caught him lost in his own thoughts more than once over breakfast and as they drove to the ARC.

They made their way inside, heading towards Lester's office for the morning briefing. Connor knew it would be a long day, as everyone was waiting on his report. Kieron would've told Lester and the others as much detail as he'd be able to recall. As if on cue, Kieron called out their names, advancing towards them as quickly as he could on his crutches.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Abby asked.

"Something's happened," Kieron spoke, his tone serious.

"What do you mean?" Connor asked, subconsciously reaching for Abby's hand, needing to feel a physical contact with her.

"The timelines, Connor! This isn't our ARC. It's your Claudia Brown theory. Something's changed."

"How? What's different?" Connor's grip on Abby's hand tightened. The feeling of tremendous unease bubbled up inside him, threatening to take him over. If the world had been altered whilst they'd been in the anomaly, then his finding Abby still here, and still his wife, was an even greater miracle. Abby squeezed his hand and he looked to her, seeing the same worry in her eyes.

"Follow me," Kieron spoke, awkwardly turning himself around and making his way towards the main hub. He stopped short, peering around the corner as Abby and Connor stood at his side and followed his eyeline. "I came in this morning to meet with Matt and Lester and give them my full report of yesterday, then I saw him, there in Lester's office now. I found out his name's Mac Rendall and he joined the ARC last year. He's ex-Army and Becker scouted him to join the team."

Connor's blood ran cold, but there was no denying that the man stood inside Lester's office with Becker and Matt was the same man Connor had a conversation with the day before. He'd said he used to work at the ARC, but that Evan Cross had changed the course of his life and now it seemed it had either been changed back, or changed for a second time.

"What else have you seen?" Connor asked. Abby let go of his hand and stepped in closer to Connor, securing her arm around his waist.

"Nothing yet. I saw that other bloke and immediately went to your lab to search the records for who he was. "That's the same soldier I saw you having a conversation with in Vancouver, isn't it?"

Connor nodded. "That's him. Kieron, go give Lester and Matt your report, be straightforward, but only talk about your part of it. I need to talk with Abby alone first. Tell Lester Abby and I'll be there shortly."

Kieron nodded. "Will do. Do you have an idea what's happened?"

"I've got a theory, yeah. I just need a bit of time."

"You've got it."

"Thanks."

Kieron took in a deep breath and left them, making his way towards their boss' office. Connor guided Abby away and towards the menagerie, wanting the privacy of her lab over his. Once inside, he locked the door and turned the glass to the room opaque. He didn't want them to be interrupted. He then backed her against the wall and kissed her breathless. After a few minutes they came up for air and Connor rested his forehead against hers as he held her face in his hands.

"You're my wife, yeah?" he asked, his voice thick with emotion.

"Yeah, Conn. We got married two months after New Dawn, took a weekend in Paris for our Honeymoon cause we couldn't get the time off for longer. Is that how you remember it?"

He nodded his head. "We spent our wedding night in our new flat and I bawled like an idiot when we made love."

"It was romantic. I cried too."

"We spent a year alone together in the Cretaceous?"

"Yes, just you and me. I told you I loved you on the night of the fourth full moon."

"We made love for the first time next to the fire... and then again the next day under that waterfall."

They relived their shared past until they reached the moment they'd met in the Forest of Dean. Their history together hadn't changed and yet the world around them had. It shouldn't have been possible for Abby's knowledge of things to have remained the same as his, but it seemed they had. He and Kieron should've been the only ones to know the world as it had been. But, Abby had no clue who Mac Rendall was.

"Do you know what's happened? How come our memories are the same? Shouldn't I remember things differently?"

"Yeah, you should. I don't know, love, but I think it's got something to do with what I felt last night, when we were together... I can't really explain it, but for a moment there, I felt like you were disappearing on me and then you were with me again and it was like coming back to life. I think... and I know this'll sound crazy, but it's all I've got right now... but I think what I felt was time bending around us. See, I shouldn't have even been conscious of it, but if something happened to change the timelines, and it happened at the precise moment we were making love, I think maybe it was enough to connect you as part of me, so when the world changed, we didn't."

Abby hadn't felt the same sensation of him being taken from her, but she did recall at one point that she'd felt a great pressure around her body and inside her head. It had only been there for a moment, and she'd initially dismissed it. "But if you were on this side of the anomaly when the timeline changed, how come you, me and Kieron are all aware of it?"

"That's a mystery, but if I was to take a wild guess, I'm thinking maybe since he and I had just come from travelling through so many different anomalies that... I dunno... some sort of time residue was left with us? It's another theory to work on out of a list that just keeps getting longer and longer. But I still have you... I have you. Oh, Abby, if I'd lost you..."

"I know, me too!" They kissed again, cleaving to each other, scared to let go. They held on to each other for dear life, trying to find a safe haven in the chaos that surrounded them. After a time, it was Abby who sobered, knowing that they had to face up to the others and try to explain all that had occurred.

With hands locked together, they made their way to Lester's office. Connor and Kieron shared a look as he and Abby entered. Connor looked to Mac and nodded, and the other man looked back at him with a fondness, unknowing of the incredible events that surrounded his _other_ life.

"Nice of you two to finally join us!" Lester scolded. "Kieron's given us the details from yesterday, but I'm sure you have your own to add. Unfortunately it will have to wait. The group from the Vancouver arm of the ARC have arrived. I'm sure you and Mr. Cross will want to catch up since it's thanks to the two of you that we've been as successful as we have with our anomaly research these past six months."

Connor's eyes widened in surprise, and he looked to Abby seeing the same astonished look on her face. Connor had the sinking feeling that this day was going to be even more harrowing than the day before.

!*!*!

Hours later it was just the two of them again. Connor sat reclined on the big leather couch in their living room. Abby was laid stretched out the length of the couch with her head in his lap as she looked up at him. The fingers of their left hands were woven together as they relaxed after a very long day. For Connor, seeing Evan again had shaken him, but as each man told their stories, all the pieces of the puzzle seemed to fall into place. It seemed that the past six years of his and Abby's lives had more or less continued on the course they remembered, save for a few divergent factors in the wake of New Dawn. They remembered the addition Martin Allingham, Jo North, Kieron O'Malley as well as others to the team, brought into replace Prospero employees that had been let go in the wake of what Philip Burton had done. But none of them remembered Mac Rendall. They remembered that as senior members of the ARC, they'd been given their own teams. Abby had two - one for the menagerie and another for the field who were in control of caring for the creatures and advising the ones who worked on containment, such as Matt, Becker and Connor's teams. There were subtle deviations, here and there, but no major upheavals... save for one very important one.

Evan Cross' past had changed dramatically. He and Dylan recounted their tale of what occurred at the anomaly's junction, and their return to Britannia Beach to find the sort of wreckage they'd expected to find, as well as quite a great many changes, namely the presence of the another Mac Rendall, the one Connor had met, only he'd been six years older and had spent that time with another Evan Cross, building Cross Photonics over the past six years.

Furthermore, the other Mac had helped guide Evan in his anomaly research, making sure to bring in the others, including Toby and Dylan. The Evan and Dylan that this older Mac knew and worked with over the past six years were immediately over-written when his original Evan and Dylan changed the timelines at the anomaly junction and came back through. They returned to a changed world and stepped into the lives of their other selves without the knowledge of this different history and six years with Mac. Fortunately, the Mac they'd only just said goodbye to and who was now before them six years older, anticipated everything and was able to help them adjust.

Six years in the past there hadn't been half as much anomaly activity in British Columbia as there had in England, so things moved slowly and much focus was spent on building up Evan's company. It wasn't until after the convergence that things began to heat up and shortly there after, events began to unfold in a fashion which anomaly travelling Mac recognized. That was where the ARC in England came into play.

There hadn't been a clandestine mission to sneak into Cross Photonics for Connor to steal the anomaly detection device. It hadn't been there with the older Mac when he'd saved Evan from the Albertosaurus to smash. Instead Connor's trip to Vancouver had been to bring Evan into fold of the ARC and liaise the two teams. Given the fact that the British ARC had its own Mac Rendall, the one in Vancouver had remained in hiding from them. From the point Connor had gone to Vancouver onwards, there were two ARCs, one in London and one in Vancouver, sharing information and technology, both teams working under one philosophy with the same goal. The anomalies were natural occurrences and the ARCs primary objective would be to protect the public and safely return the creatures to their own times. Connor and Evan continued to work on new technologies to achieve those goals, as well as researching the nature of the anomalies themselves for the pure desire to simply solve the mystery of their existence.

The Connor and Evan in the present however were ignorant to all these events, as were Dylan, Abby and Kieron. Their experiences were those of their original timelines. Still, it seemed as if much good had been built upon the changes that had occurred. Evan and Dylan had an entire year to catch themselves up to the new timeline and understood how confusing it must be for the other three. The Connor they'd been working with was no more, over-written by the one before them just as they'd over-written their own identities when they'd returned from the anomaly junction. Only time would tell if they could all assimilate the changes and go forwards. There was still so much work to be done.

Connor and Abby were both mentally exhausted by the time they'd returned home, and knew that the coming days would be even more challenging. But, they knew they could weather them by virtue of being together. For the time being, there was nothing to pull them away from what mattered the most. They stayed as they were, neither speaking a word, cherishing the quiet and the peace they found within the walls of their home. As the night wore on, Abby remembered there was still one unanswered question, one nearly totally forgotten in the craziness of the day. They still didn't know whether or not they were about to become parents.

Abby rose from the couch and beckoned him to follow. "Let's go find out our future, Connor."

The End

_I wonder, does this feel like it needs an epilogue? Like maybe some questions still need answers?_


	2. Epilogue

Epilogue

Abby emerged from the bathroom dressed in her silken white dressing down, her face cleaned and hair brushed through. Connor looked at her expectantly from his position sitting in the middle of their bed in his boxers with socks still on his feet.

"Two minutes," Abby spoke walking to the window to pull the curtains closed. She turned on the lamp on her dresser and turned off the overhead lights before joining him. He moved over to his side of the bed and lay back against the pillows. Abby molded herself against him and lay her cheek to his shoulder while one arm hugged across his abdomen.

"Longest two minutes of me life," Connor sighed. Abby nodded her head and sniffed, then took in a shaky breath. Connor recognized her behavior instantly. "Abby, love, what's the matter?"

"Nothing, honest, it's just been a long, hard day is all." She leaned in a kissed his cheek. "The two minutes are up..."

She went to move off him, but he stopped her, turning to face her. As expected there were tears in her eyes and he gently wiped at them with the pad of his thumb. "Scared to find out?"

"Yes, but it's more than that. I'm still thinking about what I did today... what if..."

"Abby, last night you told me that you thought it was possible you might already be pregnant, and I promised you that if you were I'd do everything in my power to keep you and our baby safe, to be a good dad and to never leave you like your father left you and your mum and what do I go and do the very next day? I risk everything, our whole future, and go through an anomaly with every chance of not coming back. I know what you're like Abby, I know how the worry eats you up inside. I'm not as oblivious as I might seem. I know how you always tried to hide what you were feeling when we were in the Cretaceous. I know how much you cried when you thought I didn't have a clue. We both know what it's like to grow up without a father..." He sighed heavily, already regretting what he was about to bring up. "Your mum, the person she became after your dad left, that wouldn't have been you. You'd never have done what she did... you'd never strike our child."

He caressed her face and kissed her forehead, trying to assuage her guilt over having struck him and to reassure her that she would never have become the sort of woman that would drink herself into oblivion and smack her daughter around just for being there. Both he and Abby had said goodbye to their fathers before they'd even been teenagers. Connor's father had been lost to cancer, while no one really knew what became of Abby's father other than he one day walked out and never came back. Connor's mother had been steadfast and loving in bringing up her son, making sure he was loved, supported and had fond memories of family holidays, Christmases and birthdays. Their lives were rarely easy. Money was always tight and Connor was bullied at school for being too smart, too much of a geek and not terribly skilled at sports. Nonetheless, Connor could always say that he'd had a good life and knew what sort of parent he'd like to be by virtue of his mother's example. Abby hadn't been so lucky.

When what little money they had ran out, a few months after Abby's father abandoned the family, they'd moved in with her Gran. Abby had been excited at first, because she'd always had fun with her. Her mother had been sinking ever deeper into depression and Abby quickly learned not to get on her bad side lest she be yelled at, or even worse, witness her mother break down into hysterics. Mother and daughter spent little time together. Abby tried to form a stronger bond with her grandmother, but the older woman was overwhelmed caring for a young Jack, trying to support all four of them when she ought to have been thinking of retirement, as well as being at odds with her own daughter. When Abby's mother began to take to alcohol to numb herself to the woes surrounding her, their grandmother sold her flat, took custody of Jack and moved away while Abby made the fateful decision to remain with her mother. She loved her mum and it broke her heart everyday to see her unable to take care of herself, or her children. Abby silently accepted every derogatory word, every smack, every accusation and did so until three days before her sixteenth birthday. Abby returned home from school before heading to her job to find her mother passed out and unresponsive. It was two days of laying in a coma in hospital before Abby's mother died. After that, Abby was more or less on her own.

She took on a second job, finished school while living in care, went on to University and tried to forget her tumultuous past as best she could. But the scars remained, some buried deep while others were just below the surface. When she'd finally let Connor in and let him love her with the unabashed devotion in which he did, Abby was able to let go of much of the angst she'd held inside her for so long. However, the innate fear of being abused or abandoned was ingrained in her and no matter how strong Connor's love was for her, she still saw herself as unworthy.

The night before Connor had entered the anomaly, Abby had shared that she thought she could be pregnant already. She was overtired, nauseous during the day, particularly mornings, and she generally felt out of sorts. She didn't feel as if she was coming down with anything, hadn't a fever or a foggy head. They'd shared smiles and a few tears, and Connor had promised to always be there for her and any children they'd have. He vowed to love and support her and that their baby wouldn't grow up without a father like they both had. He'd absolutely meant his words, but the circumstances led him astray the following day. It had been such a shock to Abby to hear that he'd gone through the anomaly that it was, perhaps irrationally, seen as a breaking of those promises. She'd instantly imagined herself bringing up hers and Connor's child by herself, always missing him and always feeling that she'd been abandoned by him. She pictured herself becoming angry and bitter like her mother had, and eventually turning on the one person she was meant to care for with unconditional love.

She'd felt so vulnerable, and yes, quite angry with her husband. "I should've thrown my arms around you and kissed you. I shouldn't have done what I did," she lamented.

"I understood. Don't forget, I know you, Abby. I know you better than anyone else ever has or ever will. Tell me something, why do you want to be a mum?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you came to me that night two months ago and told me that you wanted us to start trying, I was so happy I didn't stop and think about your reasons. I've been thinking since then and I think I know the answer, but I want to hear you say it."

"I... I don't know..." Her bottom lip trembled and tears shone in her eyes. She felt so strong an urge to close her old walls around herself, but looking into her dear Connor's eyes, she couldn't build them up again as easily as when they first knew each other.

"Yes you do, Abby."

"I... I guess I want the chance to do things right, to give our baby a happy home, with two parents who love each other."

"Go on..."

"Connor..."

"Abby, I know there's more. C'mon, love."

"I love you and you love me too and it's so strong and a baby would make it even stronger; because you're the best person I know in this world and it would make you happy."

"And?"

"And it would make me happy, Connor. It would make me so happy! I want to hold them, kiss them, tell them how much I love them and how lucky we are to have them. I just want to do everything for our baby that my mother never did for me. I want to make things right. Most of all though, I think giving you a baby would be real gift, it's something you deserve."

"It's something you deserve too. There, not so bad to say out loud was it?" She shook her head and smiled, feeling immeasurably better. Connor always did know how to get her to see the brighter side of things. He first kissed her lips, then the tip of her nose. When she went to rise, his hand came to rest on her shoulder and stalled her. His face grew serious and he cleared his throat before looking at her again. "Abby," he began. "You know I wouldn't have rested until I'd found my way back to you, right?"

"I know, Conn."

"And I didn't feel like I had a choice about going after Kieron. If it were me..."

"I'd want someone to go after you."

"There were a few moments when I didn't think I'd be able to get back through the anomaly. I was almost a whole year away from you..."

"Better then a few million."

He smiled at her, glad that the tension of earlier seemed to have dissipated. "I would've waited until your Connor had gone, then come back to you the same day, like nothing had happened. You wouldn't have missed me."

"Bollocks."

"Point is, we would've been okay one way or another. You n' me, we're stronger than even time itself!" There was a doleful smile on his face, but Abby could tell he meant every word.

"That's saying something."

"If the past couple of days have are anything to go by..."

Abby moved in and kissed him, pouring all her love into it, reaffirming the incredible bond they'd formed over their years in each other's lives. "I love you, Connor Temple."

"I love you too, Abby Temple. Abby Temple! I'll never get tired of saying that."

"Good thing, because I plan on being Mrs. Temple for a very very very long time. Go get the test."

He grinned and launched himself off the bed, tripping over his own feet as he made his way to the bathroom to fetch the home pregnancy test she'd left on the counter. Abby rolled over on to her back and smiled to herself. Their conversation had been a bit rough on her, but as usual, sharing with Connor always made her feel so much better for it. She heard a whoop of joy from the bathroom and her grin broadened. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, laying a hand to her abdomen. She was startled and nearly bounced off the bed when Connor returned, diving onto the mattress next to her. Luckily he caught her before she fell off. He captured and plundered her mouth with a wildly passionate kiss as the hand that held the little stick with its positive result quickly worked to untie the knot of the sash at her waist.

Once he'd got it loose, he threw open her robe. He pulled back from kissing her and passed her the test. Abby accepted and looked upon it and felt a great swell of hope and love surge through her. Connor meanwhile continued to kiss a trail down her body until he reached her middle, framing her abdomen with his hands and thoroughly kissing the spot.

Abby stroked her fingers through her husband's hair and he looked up at her lovingly, his cheek resting on her stomach. It seemed as if their future was set. They had a baby on the way and though the world around them had changed, it appeared that they were on a safer path with the anomalies. Their future was in sight and it looked amazing.

The End (for good this time)


End file.
